I've just encountered an interesting blog post on Psychology Today about the positive effects of nicotine on motor functioning and cognition.
"One of the most disturbing was the power of nicotine: 'scientists at the National Institute on Drug Abuse . . . found [it had] ‘significant positive effects' on fine motor skills, the accuracy of short-term memory, some forms of attention, and working memory, among other basic cognitive skills. The improvements ‘likely represent true performance enhancement' and ‘beneficial cognitive effects.'"
It reminds me of why I drink so much coffee.
